West Ham United announced the departure of coach Manuel Pellegrini on Saturday. On Sunday the team already had its new boss. David Moyes, who coached West Ham during the 2017-18 season, has signed an 18-month contract to lead the Hammers, the club announced.
Pellegrini was let go after Saturday's 2-1 loss to a Leicester City side that played mostly backups, changing nine players from its previous game. The result left the Hammers just a point above the relegation zone with half of the season remaining. West Ham has just two wins in its last 14 games in the league and hasn't scored multiple goals in any of its last six games.
Moyes is back to do what he did two seasons ago: keep West Ham up.
David Moyes has signed an 18-month deal and begins work immediately ahead of the New Year’s Day fixture with AFC Bournemouth at London Stadium.https://t.co/AS5yWnXVwU
— West Ham United (@WestHam) December 29, 2019
From the team:
West Ham United are pleased to confirm that David Moyes has returned to the Club as first-team manager.
Moyes has signed an 18-month deal and begins work immediately ahead of the New Year's Day fixture with AFC Bournemouth at London Stadium.
Joint-Chairman David Sullivan said: "David proved in his short time with the Club that he was capable of getting results and we believe that he will start moving the Club in the right direction once again.
"We are delighted to welcome David back – he knows the Club well and he built strong relationships during that time which will be crucial for the work that needs to be done going forward."
Moyes is most known for coaching Everton from 2002-2013, bringing great stability to the club and earning the Manchester United job as a result, replacing the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson. His winning percentage at Everton was a respectable 42 percent, while he had a 52 percent winning percentage at Manchester United, losing 15 of 51 matches before being sacked.
Since being let go at United in 2014, he's coached Real Sociedad of Spain, Sunderland and West Ham. His first stint with the Hammers saw him go 9-19-12 with a winning percentage of 29 percent. If he were to stay on that course, West Ham would finish with around 34 points, which in past seasons has shown to not be enough to stay up. Last season, Cardiff City was relegated after earning that amount.
West Ham plays Bournemouth on New Year's Day. You can watch the Premier League on fuboTV (Try for free).
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